Wednesday, December 11, 2013

2)Kathryn Nellis: November

NOVEMBER

Advent

I chose this tree because it exhibited maturity, perhaps even signs of damage, but vitality and
hardiness as well. I hoped to evoke the Jesse
Tree (there is the suggestion of a vine at the base of the trunk), and also
foreshadow the cross.

The birds (Canada geese) speak of brotherhood, pilgrimage, and the prophets. Tangled amidst
the branches, they almost appear to be leaves. The geese also provide movement
and life, suggesting that there is more than what lies within the edges of the
painting. They are destined for a place unseen.

The tree seems static, but the luminous trunk,
extending branches, and quilt of decay below remind us that it is only waiting
within itself, still stretching out, still providing life, preserved by its sap
until spring.

In both paintings I experimented with dripping,
sanding, carving, glazing, and impasto painting. I used a palette knife to apply
much of the paint, which helped me loosen my application with unexpected
textures and effects.

I was inspired by Gerard Manley Hopkins’s “God’s
Grandeur,” and by Bruce Herman and
Makoto Fujimura’s QU4RTETS exhibit.

Kathryn Nellis is a self-employed artist: a talented painter and musician, she recently graduated from Gordon College in Massachusetts and now resides in Pennsylvania.